MDE#04 Tech Check-up
MDE#04 Tech Check-up
Reflecting on the high-maintenance relationship with tech 🤑
Disclaimer: this post won’t be about the metaverse, but about becoming more aware of our tech consumption.
⏳ 4 min read
Tech has become like a high-maintenance relationship: screaming for our attention via alerts, sounds, buzzes, and even lights.
Disconnecting from tech during the Christmas holidays may seem like a paradox: it´s especially during these dates when we are texting and sending greetings to dear ones. At least, it´s a great time to check where we stand in our relationship with tech.
Was your phone at the Christmas table?
Was it there to take some memorabilia of the dinner, or was it distracting you from being fully present?
What thought, feeling, or impulse led you to pick up your phone?
These simple questions show the power that tech may have over us.
Let´s become more aware of our tech consumption these days when everything is slower than usual. It´s a great time to reflect on our behavior with tech and include our family and dear ones in this conversation.
Let´s start 2023 with some good resolutions! 😉
Resources for a tech check-up
As my Christmas present to you, here are a series of resources to check your relationship with tech. The time you commit to these resources is an investment in yourself/your family.
There is a movie (1), a family or individual activity (2), and recommendations (3). Just choose one and dare to take your power back with tech!
The Social Dilemma from the Center for Humane Technology, an association that aligns technology with humanity´s best interests. The documentary is available on Netflix and has reached over 100 million people, streaming in 190 countries in 30 languages. A must-see in the 21st century. I highly recommend watching this movie alone or with your family to learn about how the social media industry works. Plus, here is a guide to follow up on the movie and reflect on how you can take control of your social media use.
The Data Detox Kit from Tactical Tech, a non-profit working at the intersection of technology, human rights, and civil liberties. This printable guide addresses four topics: data privacy, digital security, digital well-being, and misinformation. The kit targets 11-16 year-olds. Frankly, it´s an excellent resource for all ages and is available in 17 languages. The kit is a great starting point for home conversations on healthy relationships with tech. I recommend addressing each of the four different topics at different times to allow some time to apply the learning and integrate the benefits.
Source: datadetoxkit.org The family´s digital everyday life from Børns Vilkår, an association that fights for the rights of kids in Denmark. Their excellent guide (no exaggeration here) helps parents navigate the uncertainties and questions about their kids´ safety. Tip: install Google Translate on the browser if you don’t understand Danish. Here are the topics that the guide covers:
- Screen check survey. Survey to check yourself as a digital role model and learn how screens affect the family´s everyday life.
- Kids, games, and gaming. Short guidelines to investigate the games your kid plays and learn about the online communities and people that your kid is playing with.
- Safety online. Tips and tricks to protect your kid from the dangers of the net. The resource addresses online grooming, photo sharing without consent, hacking, phishing, and identity theft.
These resources are brilliant. Just take the time to apply one instead of scrolling through them. It may even become part of your 2023´s resolutions. Dare to do it.
This is all for this year. Happy holidays!
AND NOW, LOOKING BACK AT THE PAST WEEKS. Some pictures of a few events I attended. What an intense end of the year!
First and foremost: I graduated from my Ph.D. at the Technical University of Denmark. What a journey!!! To be honest, I never envisioned getting a Ph.D. Life led me there instead. It was a tremendous sacrifice from a personal perspective, but the learnings are worth it. Especially the mindset shift that comes from doing a Ph.D. Below is a picture of the celebration day. ✨
Plus, a shot from my participation in the panel: "The Metaverse, a lawless world?" organized by Stereopsia Europe on the stakes of the metaverse at IHECS, Brussels.
Finally, a picture of the Nordics from where I am writing this post and closing the year.
Thanks for reading until the end! Just click below 👇 to keep updated on the next ones. I am looking forward to having you as part of this expanding community.